I own a 2004 Mini Cooper that recently hasn’t been turning over on the first try. I thought my starter was going out so I brought it into my dealership which has serviced my car for years. They replaced a fan (again!) that goes out about every 2 years… in the past they’ve told me it was common with this year. Well, this time, they were especially thorough and began to check some of the parts near my engine. They found that I have a SPIDER INFESTATION between the EVAC hose and fans, etc. So bad, in fact, that the Service Manager sounded manic when he called and apparently the technician came running into the building like the house was on fire. They’ve never seen anything like it nor have I been able to find anyone on the forums who have had this problem other than the Mazda recall for a particular type of spider in the fuel line. I’m going down there in the morning so I can see for myself what is going on but to be quite honest, I’m so wigged out that I can hardly eat. I also feel like I have a social disease. Ha! I posted this on my personal FB page and nobody seems to have ever heard of this. ANY SUGGESTIONS!!! The replacement parts + labor = about $2,000.00. Mechanics were surprised my car even started.
Sounds interesting. Take some pics and post them here and we’ll see what we can do to help you.
Honda had problems caused by the same kind of spider.
Are you guys serious? Mazda had a recall due to spiders? Honda had a problem by the same type?
I take it the service manager and tec don’t like spiders???
To spend $2000 on parts because of spiders seems a little expensive to me.
What parts do they want tovreplace.
If it were my car I’d try this. Go to the store and purchase couple of those bug bombs. They are a spray can of insecticide where the nozzle locks to spray while you leave the room. You’ll have to read and find one that kills spiders.
Place them on some old newspaper on the garage floor.
Have the car ready to park over them with the hood up and the car doors open, and with a cold engine.
Set them off, pull the car over them, shut everything off, remove the keys, and close the garage door.
Come back in about 2 hours and take the car for a good car wash. Go to a self service wash and be sure to get under the car good too.
Rorget everything I said…you’d never get those bug bombs under a Mini!!!
I doubt that the insecticide will have any adverse effects on anything, but I’d want to get it off the paint just in case.
To be sure that it had an effect on any eggs too, I’d go thru the process again in about three weeks.
It would probably be better if the car were up off the ground 4 feet, so the must would get everywhere better, but unless you have someone with a lift that would be hard.
Maybe the shop where you took it would put it on the lift…just before closing…and drape a big tarp over it.then come back the next morning and take it down.
We had spiders at one of our houses and they got into the computer for the warmth…or to surf the WEB {:=).
I removed the cover to the computer tower and did the same to the office. No more spiders and it had no effect on the computer. There was no lingering smell also…I never smelled a thing when I came back into the room.
A friend inherited a Mercedes that had been sitting in the woods for 2 years. When we pulled up the carpet there was about 10,000 big black ants. 2 bug bombs tossed in the car with the windows up and doors closed did the trick. Then lots of vacuuming. Gross but it works! I think you’d be fine to set one off in the engine bay. Take off the air filter, find where the bug bomb will fit, set it off and close the hood.
Fender, been there. I bought a Ford Exploder once that had been sitting. I got it home and everytime the wife rode in it her algeries went haywire. I knew the owner had dogs that rode along, so I thought that it was the hair and dander. I stripped the thing down inside and even pulled the carpeting and hosed it off.
When I pulled the carpet up I must have found enough acorns to fill a large coffee can. Turned out…though it was an automatic…the plug that covered the hole where the clutch master cylinder would have gone was missing. I suppose that it got knocked off and the owner couldn’t figure what it went to.
Got the car all clean, but when I turned on the heater fan, dust blew everywhere. I tore the dash out and I filled a five gallon bucket with shredded paper and anything else the chippy could find to make a nest. No skeletons thuogh!!!
Why not call a pest control professional and ask for help?